Tennis legend Serena Williams has a path to a possible return to tennis.

On Monday, she was listed by tennis’s drug testing organization as eligible to return to competition. Her eligibility date is listed as Feb. 22. This news comes four months after she rejoined the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s drug testing pool, a requirement for her to play in sanctioned tournaments.

However, there are no plans tight now for Williams to return to tennis.

In August 2022, the 23-time Grand Slam champion said that she was ‘evolving’ away from tennis, in part because she and husband Alexis Ohanian wanted to have more children. She has not played since the 2022 U.S. Open.

When Williams made a TODAY show appearance in January, she didn’t completely turn down the idea of a return.

‘I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now,’ Williams said.

However, when pressed by Savannah Guthrie about entering the drug protocol, she sidestepped the question.

‘Did I reenter?’ Williams said. ‘I didn’t know if I was out. Listen, I can’t discuss this.’

MILAN — The 2026 Winter Olympics enter the third full day of competition on Monday with four medals up for grabs: women’s slopestyle skiing, men’s Alpine skiing team combined, women’s speed skating 1,000 meters, and women’s snowboarding big air.

In the women’s speed skating 1,000 meters, look out for Erin Jackson, who won gold in the 500m in 2022. The American teenager Avery Krumme is in the slopestyle final.

Elsewhere, figure skating moves into the ice dance competition, where Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who won team gold on Sunday night, begin the quest for the second medal of these Games. And the U.S. women’s hockey team plays its third game of these Games, a matchup again Sweden.

Japan’s Kokomo Murase makes history in women’s snowboard big air

There’s a new Olympic gold medal winner in women’s snowboard big air. Japan’s Kokomo Murase delivered a historic moment in the clutch, registering the best score of the event (89.25) as the second-to-last jumper of the third and final run in the competition.

Murase, who won the bronze medal in women’s snowboard big air at the 2022 PyeongChang Olympics, is the first gold medal winner in the event from Japan. Austria’s Anna Gasser won the gold medal in 2018 and 2022 after women’s big air was introduced to Olympic competition, but she did not land her first two jumps on Monday.

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski Sinnott took the silver medal and 17-year old Seungeun Yu of South Korea won the bronze medal.

US upends Italy in mixed doubles curling, will play for gold

With a clutch double in the eighth and final end, Americans Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin pulled off the biggest victory in U.S. mixed doubles curling history with a 9-8 upset of defending Olympic champions Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner of Italy.

Down 8-7 entering the eighth, the Americans took advantage of an opening as Thiesse’s throw and Dropkin’s sweeping helped knock the Italian team’s lone stone out of the circle and secure the winning two points for the U.S.

The semifinal victory moves Team Cory and Korey into the gold-medal match (Tuesday, 12:05 p.m. ET) against Sweden, which upset top-seeded Great Britain in the other semifinal.

Jake Paul’s fiancee wins speedskating gold medal

The Netherlands put a dominating stamp to close out the women’s 1000m race in the 2026 Winter Olympics speedskating event on Monday, Feb. 9. Jutta Leerdam, the fiancee of YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul, claimed the gold medal by re-setting an Olympic record her Dutch teammate Femke Kok had set minutes earlier.

Kok took the silver medal and American Brittany Bowe finished off the podium in fourth place in what’s expected to be her final Olympic appearance for the United States. American Erin Jackson briefly held the event lead after her skate until Kok set the first record of the night and eventually finished off the podium in sixth place.

Paul was shown in the crowd in tears as Leerdam celebrated her winning skate, which came in the final pairing of the event. She finished with a time of 1:12.31.

Allyson Felix among famous Olympians at speed skating

Retired American track and field star Allyson Felix is among the famous Olympians in attendance for the women’s 1000m final in speed skating. The USA Network broadcast also showed U.S. speed skating legend Bonnie Blair in the crowd at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium.

Felix was also at Sunday’s figure skating team final, according to her Instagram account. She was confirmed as an IOC member in 2024 after ending her Olympics career after the Tokyo 2020 Games with seven gold medals.

Ashley Farquharson leads US contingent in women’s luge

American Ashley Farquharson sits in fourth place after an encouraging first run in the women’s singles competition in luge. There’s one more run on Monday, with the final two runs set for Tuesday at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Medals are awarded based on a cumulative time for all four runs. American Emily Fischnaller is also in contention, sitting in seventh place after her first run.

While Farquharson is in the mix near the top of the leaderboard, fellow American Summer Britcher has some work to do to medal in her fourth Olympic appearance. Her sled rubbed against the wall during the start her first run, slowing her down through the top of the course. She sits in 15th place after her first run.

US trails six in early Olympic medal count

The United States got its first two gold medals of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday night with Breezy Johnson in the women’s downhill in alpine skiing, as well as the team competition in figure skating. The U.S. is one of three countries with multiple gold medals already, although it’s nonetheless tied for seventh in total medals.

Italy has an Olympic-best nine medals at the moment, with Norway, Austria, Switzerland and Germany behind them. But there are plenty more to be handed out. Speed skating, ski jumping, women’s snowboard big air are among the medal events scheduled for Monday, Feb. 9.

US curlers set for rematch with Italy in mixed doubles semifinal

The American duo of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin are entering uncharted territory in the world of mixed doubles curling. Despite a 7-6 loss to Italy on Monday, Team Cory and Korey had already clinched the USA’s first-ever spot in the semifinal round of Olympic competition, finishing round-robin play in second place with a 6-3 record.

However, they’ll have to get past that same Italian team of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner later in the day to clinch a medal and a spot in the championship match. Top-seeded Great Britain meets Sweden in the other semi.

Jake Paul’s fiancėe ready for speed skating debut in Milan

In some circles, Jutta Leerdam is best known as Jake Paul’s fiancée. But at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she is a speed skating star. Leerdam, a 27-year-old from the Netherlands, will compete in the women’s 1,000 meters at 11:30 a.m. ET. Peacock will provide coverage as she races against, among others, American Erin Jackson.

She won a silver in the 1,000 meters at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and and has captured six European championships and seven world championships.

Paul is expected to be among the spectators at Milano Speed Skating Stadium to watch Leerdam’s first race of these Olympics. − Josh Peter

US men’s hockey team ‘geared up’ by Ralph Lauren

The Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament gets underway on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with the first games of the preliminary round.

Team USA arrived in Milan on Sunday, but before they could hit the ice, players made a quick stop  to the Team USA Welcome Experience for their Ralph Lauren kits. They tried on the closing ceremony outfits, which feature a puffy jacket and wool sweater, that were then tailored to fit them just right.

‘The Ralph Lauren experience was cool and so was the Nike technology. It was just, you dream of going to the Olympics to play,’ said Team USA center Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings, ‘but you also dream of the gear. To be honest, it is cool to get geared up.’ − Alex Connor and Helene St. James

Switzerland claims gold in inaugural men’s Alpine team combined

Franjo von Allmen followed up his individual gold in the men’s downhill by partnering with Switzerland teammate Tanguy Nef for gold in the new Alpine skiing team combined event at these Olympics.

The U.S. tandem of Kyle Negomir (downhill) and River Radamus (slalom) finished 19th out of 21 teams in Bormio. Negomir’s downhill time of 1:53.99 was 16th overall, as was Radamus’ 53.35 in the slalom, thus the Americans didn’t make a serious push for a medal. 

Negomir was racing two days after finishing 10th in the individual downhill, best among the four U.S. skiers.

Teams from Austria and Switzerland finished tied for second place behind the winning Swiss team in the combined.

The U.S. only had one team entered in the field, as opposed to countries like Switzerland and Austria, which had four. − Gentry Estes

Teammate: Gate, not injury, caused Vonn’s crash

Take it from an actual Olympic Alpine skier: all these armchair experts claiming Lindsey Vonn’s injury caused her crash have no idea what they’re talking about.

When you hook a gate at high speed, as Vonn did in the downhill race Sunday, Feb. 8, there is little chance of making a recovery, said Keely Cashman, one of the American speed skiers.

‘That twists your body around. That has nothing to do with her ACL, nothing to do with her knee,’ Cashman said. ‘A lot of people are ridiculing that, and a lot of people don’t know what’s going on.’

Vonn suffered a broken leg, and had surgery a few hours later. U.S. Skiing said after the crash that she was stable, but has not yet provided another update. − Nancy Armour

Women’s free ski yields familiar result; Eileen Gu gets silver

A pair of heavyweights, at the top of their game, going haymaker for haymaker, trick for trick, epic run for epic run.

The women’s free ski slopestyle duel between Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud and Eileen Gu of China lived up to the hype in Livigno until Gu fell immediately off the first rail on her third run — an element that gave her trouble in the qualifier two days ago, too.

And so it ended the same way as the final from four years ago in Beijing – with Gremaud taking home gold again and Gu settling for a stellar silver. − Chris Bumbaca

US men fall behind in team combined

The U.S. men have a lot of ground to make up in the team combined. 

The Americans are in 16th place, 2.19 seconds behind leader Italy, after Kyle Negomir’s downhill run. River Radamus will ski the slalom portion of the competition later today.

Italy’s team of Giovanni Franzoni and Alex Vinatzer lead Switzerland’s Alexis Monney and Daniel Yule by 0.17 seconds.  — Nancy Armour

US skaters needed skate sharpener after medals ceremony

U.S. skaters had to visit the skate sharpener in the Milano Ice Skating Arena after the team competition medals ceremony Sunday.

The top of the medal podium was not covered in carpet or a similar soft surface leading to scratches and/or potential damage to their skates, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. — Christine Brennan

Olympics schedule today

All times Eastern.

• 2 a.m.: Skeleton – Women Official Training Heats 1 & 2 | Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina)
• 3 a.m.: Nordic Combined – Normal Hill Official Training 1 | Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium (Predazzo)
• 4:05 a.m.: Curling – Mixed Doubles Round Robin | Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
  • SUI vs. CAN; ITA vs. USA; NOR vs. KOR; CZE vs. EST
• 4:30 a.m.: Alpine Skiing – Men’s Team Combined Downhill | Stelvio Ski Centre (Bormio, Valtellina)
• 4:30 a.m.: Skeleton – Men Official Training Heats 1 & 2 | Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina)
• 5:30 a.m.: Alpine Skiing – Women’s Downhill 4th Official Training | Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre (Cortina)
• 6:10 a.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | JPN vs. ITA | Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena
• 6:30 a.m.: Freestyle Skiing – Women’s Slopestyle Final | medal event | Livigno Snow Park (Livigno, Valtellina)
• 7 a.m.: Luge – Women’s Doubles Official Training Runs 3 & 4 | Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
• 7:53 a.m.: Luge – Men’s Doubles Official Training Runs 3 & 4 | Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
• 8 a.m.: Alpine Skiing – Men’s Team Combined Slalom | medal event | Stelvio Ski Centre (Bormio, Valtellina)
• 10:40 a.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | GER vs. FRA | Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena
• 11 a.m.: Luge – Women’s Singles Runs 1 & 2 | Cortina Sliding Centre (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
• 11:30 a.m.: Speed Skating – Women’s 1000m | medal event | Milano Speed Skating Stadium (Rho, Milan)
• Noon: Ski Jumping – Men’s Normal Hill Individual Trial Round, First Round, Final Round | medal event  | Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium (Val di Fiemme)
• 12:05 p.m.: Curling – Mixed Doubles Semifinals | Matchups TBD | Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium (Cortina d’Ampezzo)
• 1:30 p.m.: Snowboarding – Women’s Big Air | medal event | Livigno Snow Park (Livigno, Valtellina)
• 1:20–4:55 p.m.: Figure Skating – Ice Dance – Rhythm Dance | Milano Ice Skating Arena (Milan)
• 2:40 p.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | USA vs. SUI | Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena
• 3:10 p.m.: Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary | CAN vs. CZE | Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena

2026 Winter Olympics TV schedule today

Peacock is streaming every event live today.

Watch Winter Olympics on Peacock

Olympics medal count

Entering Monday, Italy leads the medal count with nine (one gold, two silver, six bronze). Norway has six, Japan four, Austria and Germany three, and the U.S. two.

If the 54 commercials vying for the top spot in USA TODAY’s Ad Meter contest taught us anything, it’s that the 100 million viewers tuned into Super Bowl 60 wanted something real.

Real humans. Actual intelligence. Real food – though preferably not packaged through the lens of the current Office of Health and Human Services.

And preferably, no artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency or casinos. Americans, it seems, don’t need to be told how to lose their money.

In the end, Budweiser prevailed for the 10^th time in Ad Meter history and for the second consecutive year. A bit chalk, you might say?

Here are five takeaways from this year’s slate of Super Bowl ads:

Can’t spell pain without AI

The hundreds of billions of dollars pumped into LLMs don’t seem to have convinced the public that these mechanisms are necessary for their lives. If nothing else, the Super Bowl ads seemed to put in bright lights that anything AI can offer – help with spreadsheets, a tip on how to tie your shoes, whatever – isn’t already available through other means.

Like an Excel spreadsheet, say, or a cursory Google search.

The Ad Meter ratings seemed to reflect that, with AI spots occupying the 45th through 48^th spots out of the 54 that viewers rated, a Murderers’ Row of slop. Meta’s two ‘Athletic Intelligence Is Here’ spots, despite their star power, rated an almost identical 2.45 and 2.49 on  a scale of 5, with OpenAI and Anthropic sandwiched between them.

We’re here for Anthropic throwing shade at OpenAI – mocking their ‘How do I do a pull-up to get chicks?’ was hilarious – yet it was also a fairly inside-baseball reference for a vast majority of viewers.

And a proven Ad Meter winner – Amazon Alexa finished first, second and third in 2018, ’19 and ’21, respectively – seemed to underperform, finishing 11^th this year.

That despite Chris Hemsworth’s hunky presence and a fairly entertaining conceit that no, his Alexa was not going to kill him. Perhaps that hit a little too close to home for folks.

$8 million can’t buy you love

In this heavily distracted viewing era, one thing is becoming abundantly clear: Thirty seconds is not enough time to tell a story.

The top eight Ad Meter finishers this year all came on 60-second spots – and when the buy-in for a mere 30 seconds is $8 to $10 million, the cost of success is becoming even more prohibitive.

It took the bland everyman of our times, Peyton Manning, ostensibly benign comedian Shane Gillis and the historic power of Bud Light for a 30-second ad to stop the run of minute-long epics and finish in ninth place. Their keg roll story was able to slide deftly into a half-minute.

Meanwhile, a few other spots that might have hit clearly could not cram enough into their 30 seconds. Instacart’s ‘Bananas’ had potential, but cramming a plotline (Backflippin’ Benson Boone one-ups Bumbling Ben Stiller) and the point of the product (you can order your bananas green or black, if you like) into such a tight window felt harried. It finished tied for 30^th at 2.74 with Ritz, which tried to leverage Jon Hamm, Scarlett Johansson and Bowen Yang into a 30-second window.

Then again, 60 seconds is no guarantee…

Everybody still hates Coinbase

Four years ago, the cryptocurrency outfit enraged viewers with a minutelong spot that was simply a QR code bouncing around the corners of the screen, leading the consumer to proceed to the web site – which promptly crashed minutes later.

This might be what those in the know call ‘a bad user experience.’ Coinbase finished last in 2022 Ad Meter.

Anyhow, Coinbase returned to capture another minute of your time, this time with a karaoke singalong, replete with retro graphics and the Backstreet Boys – and Backstreet is indeed back, gracing two spots. Social media seemed to appreciate the concept – and then felt burned when the ad was for crypto, and Coinbase.

Yes, consumers have a long memory. And Coinbase finished last, again.

Yet Coinbase tends to laugh last. The 2022 QR code apparent debacle still resulted in its app zooming from No. 186 on the app store to No. 2. It remains the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange.

That doesn’t mean anyone has to like it.

Health can be hazardous

An A-list superstar athlete like Serena Williams is generally a safe bet on Super Bowl Sunday. And the 30 seconds spent shilling for Ro was a fairly straightforward pitch.

Yet perhaps the viewer does not want to hear a sermon on GLP-1 weight-loss pills. The spot finished third-to-last, topping only Coinbase and Svedka.

A spot for Hims & Hers grabbed immediate attention by stating an uncomfortable truth: Rich people live longer. Yet 60 seconds was hardly enough time to solve the ills of health care inequities, nor present its product as any sort of cure-all for the system. It finished in the bottom third.

Meanwhile, a Novartis spot that leaned on current and retired NFL tight ends and a testimonial from Super Bowl-winning coach Bruce Arians to tout prostate cancer screening finished seventh overall, scoring a 3.39. Not too preachy, not touting a panacea.

Is de-aging necessary?

Everyone knows Ted Danson doesn’t resemble Sam Malone anymore. No one expects Laura Dern to be 23 years old, anymore.

Nonetheless, spots for Dunkin’ and Comcast utilized de-aging to make ‘80s and ‘90s stars like Danson, Jason Alexander, Ben Affleck, Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum look like their previous selves.

Trouble is, the consumer might not be buying it.

Thing is, the ads probably could have worked without it; the current Danson could have pulled off a more stately Dunkin’ shop manager, certainly. And the Jurassic trio still look age-defying now.

We’re sensing a theme: People don’t want to be creeped out!

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Take it from an actual Olympic Alpine skier: all these armchair experts claiming Lindsey Vonn’s injury caused her crash have no idea what they’re talking about.

When you hook a gate at high speed, as Vonn did in the downhill race Sunday, Feb. 8, there is little chance of making a recovery, said Keely Cashman, one of the American speed skiers.

‘That twists your body around. That has nothing to do with her ACL, nothing to do with her knee,’ Cashman said Monday, Feb. 9. ‘A lot of people are ridiculing that, and a lot of people don’t know what’s going on.

‘I’m not sure why people have so many opinions about it.’

Because people are ignorant. And think they understand skiing and skiers’ injuries and Olympic selection procedures when they … do not.

Vonn was skiing with a torn ACL, bone bruising and meniscus damage in her left knee after a Jan. 30 crash in the final downhill before the Milano Cortina Olympics. It’s not unheard of for someone to ski with a torn ACL — Vonn herself did it in the fall of 2013 and new Olympic champion Breezy Johnson tried to in 2022 — and Vonn said her knee felt stable and strong. She also wore a brace.

She was able to lift weights and do squats in the days after the initial crash, and she was solid in the two training runs ahead of the race. She posted the 11th-best time in the first training run, and was third-fastest in the second.

But Vonn was going for broke in the race, as one does when you’re trying to win, and taking a very tight line. She hooked the fourth gate, which spun her around and flung her into the hard snow surface. She then tumbled end over end several times before coming to rest.

‘Stick your hand out the car window when you’re driving down the freeway and then pretend you’re not connected to the car. It’s going to twist you around,’ Cashman said. ‘People just don’t understand really what goes on.’

Which is troubling to the people who actually do.

‘A lot of people have a lot of opinions about what happened yesterday and most of them are incorrect,’ Cashman said. ‘I hope that people can keep their opinions to themselves and just support her and understand that it’s her life and she’ll do whatever she wants and it doesn’t affect you.’

• The final two lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have been dismissed.
• A total of 27 lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual misconduct were filed since March 2021.
• Watson was suspended by the NFL for 11 games in 2022 following an investigation into the allegations.

The two remaining lawsuits against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson have been dismissed by the women who filed them just weeks before they were scheduled to go to trial in February and March.

Both were among 27 lawsuits filed against Watson since March 2021, all by women who accused him of sexual misconduct. Of the 27 cases, 24 ended with confidential settlements and one was withdrawn shortly after being field in 2021. The last remaining two were dismissed with prejudice in Houston Friday Jan. 6, indicating they also were settled with confidential terms.

Plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee represented 26 of the 27 women, including one of the final remaining plaintiffs, Lauren Baxley, who previously declined to settle after filing suit in March 2021. She was one of the first women to come forward publicly and accuse Watson of misconduct during a massage session.

“Case is settled,” Buzbee said Monday. “That’s all I can say about it. That’s the last case so that ends my involvement with Deshaun Watson litigation.”

Watson denied wrongdoing and said some of the encounters with these women were consensual. But the NFL investigated and eventually suspended him for 11 games in 2022.

The Baxley case was set for trial in Houston on March 30. The other remaining case was set for trial Feb. 18 and involved the only plaintiff who wasn’t represented by Buzbee. That woman’s attorney didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

That plaintiff had accused Watson of forcing her into oral sex during a massage session at the Houstonian Hotel in December 2020. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, called her lawsuit a “sham” after it was filed in October 2022. He didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

All cases generally alleged misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and early 2021, when Watson played for the Houston Texans. That team also reached confidential settlements with 30 women who made claims related to Watson’s behavior and accused the team of enabling his behavior and failing to prevent it. In March 2022, the Texans traded him to the Browns, who gave him a five-year contract worth $230 million guaranteed.

But because of the suspension and injuries, Watson only has played in 19 games for the Browns since then. Last season, Watson, 30, didn’t play at all after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

After a five-year absence, Adam Gase is back in the NFL.

The former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins head coach is joining the Los Angeles Chargers’ staff as an offensive assistant, according to multiple reports Feb. 9. It was not immediately clear what position he would hold.

Gase, 47, had not held a known coaching position since being dismissed by the Jets after the 2020 season, when he posted a 2-14 record in his second year at the helm.

Gase first rose to prominence as the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator during Peyton Manning’s record-breaking 2013 season, during which the quarterback set single-season highs of 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns. His head-coaching run would be far more tumultuous, however, as he posted a career record of 32-48 across five years.

Gase is the latest notable addition for a Chargers team that underwent a significant offseason shift with offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s firing and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter being hired as the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach.

The Bolts brought aboard former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who was in the mix for multiple head-coaching openings before taking on the play-calling role on Jim Harbaugh’s staff as offensive coordinator. Los Angeles also settled on Western Michigan defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary as Minter’s replacement.

Noahkai Banks may be making a big impression in the Bundesliga this season, but the young defender won’t be making a trip to the World Cup this summer, according to Alexi Lalas.

Banks has become a regular starter this season for Augsburg at age 19. The 6-foot-4 defender is considered one of the best American defensive prospects in many years and has earned one U.S. men’s national team call-up.

‘I saw him playing in Germany, and he’s a massive talent,’ USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said after naming Banks to his roster for September friendlies against South Korea and Japan.

‘You never know how he can explode — maybe at the end of the season he can be the best center back in Europe or in Germany.’

Banks did not participate in either match and wasn’t called up for the USMNT’s remaining four matches last fall.

That lack of experience may end up proving costly for Banks’ World Cup hopes. As the USMNT prepares for two final matches in March before the World Cup roster is named, Lalas thinks it may already be too late for the talented teenager.

‘So we’re going to start the World Cup with somebody that doesn’t have a single minute playing for the U.S. men’s national team? I don’t think that’s off base for me to be wary of that, or me to be skeptical of that actually happening.’

Lalas was responding to co-host Stu Holden, who tipped Banks for a potential World Cup spot.

‘He has great size,’ the former USMNT midfielder said. ‘I know he’s 19 years old, but his experience that he’s picking up right now, it’s such a high level. He has a lot of tools that I don’t see anywhere else in the center back pool.’

But Lalas said the March games against Belgium and Portugal won’t be the time for experimenting.

‘According to Pochettino, it’s as if the World Cup just started,’ he said. ‘So I want the best 11 playing in whatever formation it is that you believe we are going to play in the World Cup.

‘And so I don’t understand what leads Stu or others to believe that Pochettino is going to have this player that nobody has seen actually play for the U.S. before not only be there, but in many cases start.’

Lalas added: ‘I’m excited about Noahkai Banks, don’t get me wrong. … Starting consistently over there for a young player is a good thing for the future.’

Duke men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer said that a member of the Blue Devils’ staff who was injured during a court storming at the end of the team’s 71-68 loss to archrival North Carolina is “fine” and “doing better.”

Scheyer said the unnamed staff member had a bloody lip and was “disheveled and didn’t know what happened” when the team reconvened in the locker room last Saturday after the game in the Dean E. Smith Center.

“He got trampled on the floor,” Scheyer said. “That was my main concern after the game. That’s why I said what I said. It was not a good situation. But he’s doing better, he’s fine, ready to move on. I don’t have anything more to say other than that was a very unsafe situation for him, our staff, our families, our players.”

The alleged incident occurred during a chaotic final sequence at the end of Duke’s loss to the Tar Heels. North Carolina’s Seth Trimble hit what initially appeared to be a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, prompting students and fans to rush the court. After a review, though, officials added 0.4 seconds back on the clock. Duke was unable to get a shot off and the Tar Heels sealed the come-from-behind victory, leading to another court storm.

Scheyer had initially said in the moments after the game that he had staff members who were punched in the face, rather than a single staffer who was trampled.

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said he apologized to Scheyer before he went into his post-game news conference and said it’s “just very disappointing” someone was injured.

The Tar Heels were fined $50,000 on Sunday by the ACC for violating the league’s court-storming policy.

“We accept the ACC’s fine for having unauthorized people on the court before Duke and the officials could completely clear the floor on Saturday,” North Carolina said in a statement. “The video we have reviewed confirms we followed our protocols to get Duke’s players and bench personnel and the game officials off the floor safely. We will continue to review our protocols to provide the highest measures of safety in the event fans rush the court. We consider this matter closed and look forward to the rest of the season.”

The loss was only Duke’s second of the season, dropping it two spots to No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The Blue Devils led for 37:39 of a possible 40 minutes and were ahead of the Tar Heels by as many as 13 points. Trimble’s shot with 0.4 seconds left gave North Carolina its first and only lead of the game.

“I’m a big boy, can take losing,” Scheyer said on the teleconference Monday. “Great college game. Carolina played great.”